tell the truth
by danahscott
Summary: The war is only just beginning and Steve injures his leg in the plane crash, allowing him to stay in a cave in Themyscira where Diana comes to visit everyday. One day, things... happen and they may or may not involve the lasso of truth.


At twelve o'clock, in the blue lit cave, Steve sat, waiting for Diana. His father's watch was on his wrist, ticking the seconds down until she would come and entertain him again. He'd hurt his leg when he crashed his plane into the water, and he barely noticed. When he blinked open his eyes, the first thing he saw was pure beauty.

After that, the pain had hit him. The Amazonian women had made him makeshift clothes, not much more than mere cloth pinned around his shoulders and waist. As he recovered, sequestered in his cave while the women decided what to do with him, Diana came and visited him every day. She brought him books, and sat with him for an hour and asked questions about the human world. Steve lived for that hour.

So, he sat, the only man on this hidden island, waiting for the woman who saved him came to visit and talk. And she happened to be the most beautiful woman in the world. There were worse things.

"Hello, Steve," he heard her voice from the edge of the clearing. Something inside of him warmed.

"Diana. Kind of you to stop by," he said. He started to get to his feet to greet her, but then he remembered that he was supposed to be injured so he sat back down, propping his hands out behind him.

"I brought you more books to read."

He raised his eyebrows, amused, but he let her add to the pile anyway. "I'm afraid I'm still working on The Iliad."

Diana smiled with half her mouth, something that made Steve's stomach do backflips. "Is everyone from the world of men so slow?"

Steve clutched at his heart. "Ouch."

Diana stepped closer and knelt down. "How are you liking it?"

"The book or Themyscira?"

Diana raised an eyebrow. "Both."

Steve thought for a moment. They were on the brink of a Great War back home, and he knew he'd have to return soon. But this island, free of tension, of violence, of hatred, was the most beautiful place he'd ever seen. For a few reasons, he thought, looking at Diana. "Well, I'm familiar with the book, but I think it would be nice to stay on this island forever. Or at least for a while, anyway."

"Why don't you? We haven't had a man on Themyscira. My mother says it would be foolish, but I think only one man might be acceptable." She was so earnest in the way she spoke, but there was something almost god-like about her, too. Something in the way she held herself, so assured, so articulate.

When she said that he should stay, his spirits lifted. He wanted that, too. "Well, I'd like to. But I have responsibilities. Duty. There's going to be a war soon."

"We don't have war here."

"And yet, you are warriors."

"You say this as if it is a surprising thing. Are there no warriors where you come from?"

Steve cleared his throat. His ears were tinged red. "Well, yeah, but not… many…. women warriors. And none of the warriors are as good as any of you."

"So, what are the women like then?" Steve could tell they were arriving at their daily questioning session. Diana wanted to know all about the world he came from, and he was more than happy to satisfy her curiosity. Just as long as she kept talking to him.

"Well, that's a hard question. There are a lot of them."

"Are they like me?"  
Steve looked at her. Her eyes were glowing, wisps of hair framed her face and she was smiling at him was a funny kind of miracle. "No," he said, shrugging. "I've never met anyone like you."

-::-::-::-::-::-::-

They talked like that for an hour and a half. He told her what he knew, leaving out the unpleasant bits about the war, and the fighting, and the hatred. He didn't want that to infect this, like it had infected everything else with it's dark gloom. Instead, he talked about his family traditions. About snow, and ice cream, about newspaper columns, about clothing styles, about babies, birthday parties, anything she wanted to know. She told him about her life on Themyscira, about the training her mother had her do, about being the only child on an island of warriors.

He could listen to her talk forever. He thought he could see himself falling asleep to it, waking up with the memory of the sound on his mind. Maybe in an apartment together, one facing the sun, in a world where there was no war. He'd like that. He'd like to have that with her.

But, eventually, she smiled and stood up. "I should be going now."

"Right," he said, "duty calls." He watched her go until he couldn't see her anymore. And then he stood up, stretching his legs. He could only keep up the injured thing for so long before it would be well past time for him to have recovered. But it wasn't technically a lie. His leg still twinged a bit.

Steve was about to pick up The Iliad when he heard footsteps from just outside the entrance of the cave. He quickly slid to the ground, resuming a sitting position. His eyebrows shot up when he saw that it was Diana again.

"Surprised to see me back so soon?"

"You could never come back too soon," he said, not really knowing where the words came from. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Diana raised an eyebrow, moving closer to where he sat. She leaned down until they were eye level, and as if the words had control of their own, he said, "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Her face lit up, not with flattery, but with amusement. "Oh, am I?"

Steve found himself nodding. "Yeah, you are. I mean it. My leg's been feeling better for days now, but I've been pretending it still hurts just so I can keep seeing you."

She laughed at that, though she did seem a little surprised. Steve wanted to freeze that expression and save it forever. He felt his cheeks burning, though. Next, maybe he'd try freezing his mouth next, because it seemed to have a mind of its own.

"And on top of that, I've been making the world of men sound really great because I'd like nothing more than for you to come back with me."

"Steve…" Diana said, her amusement fading into something softer and deeper. She was less than an inch away from his face now. And before he could open his mouth and say something else that was stupid, and embarrassing, and true, she kissed him, softly and slowly. It was more than what he'd imagined it would be. If he had surprised her before, she was shocking him now. And this kiss was something alive, and electric. Every part of him felt lit up. She pulled away too soon. "Steve," she said again.

"Yeah?" he whispered, dazed.

She bit her lip and smiled. God, he could listen to her say his name over and over again forever. "You're sitting on my lasso."


End file.
